CHICAGO — Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Dan Brady will face each other in the race to replace Jesse White as Illinois’ secretary of state.
Giannoulias, who has previously served as Illinois’ treasurer and as a state senator, beat out Ald. David Moore (17th), City Clerk Anna Valencia and Sidney Moore in the Democratic primary, winning nearly 53 percent of the vote in preliminary results. Valencia, the next-closest Democratic candidate, conceded.
Dan Brady, the Republican’s deputy minority leader in the state House of Representatives, beat John Milhiser, racking up more than 77 percent of the vote.
Giannoulias was expected to face a tough battle against Valencia, who had been endorsed by White. The two faced attacks during their campaigns, with Giannoulias questioned about his family’s failed bank while Valencia’s opponents highlighted how she hadn’t adequately disclosed her husband’s lobbying work.
Giannoulias has vowed to protect people’s voting rights, modernize the Secretary of State’s Office, strengthen the agency’s business services to empower minority entrepreneurs and strengthen the state’s ethics laws for lawmakers and lobbyists, among other issues.
Brady has said he’ll focus on increasing the number of Illinoisans signed up as organ donors and modernize the agency to reduce wait times.
The two are set to replace White, who has been the secretary of state since 1999. White is retiring and not seeking reelection.
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